Golf ball marking machine



April 29, 1952 E. J. RUSSELL ET AL 2,594,685

GOLF BALL MARKING MACHINE Filed Nov. 10, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 l y. Z

INVENTORS, flyanefTwsaa! Z April 29, 1952 E. J. RUSSELL ET AL GOLF BALL MARKING MACHINE Filed NOV. 10, 1947 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 mmv TORS, i yene f kwsseZZ I rriruri ll/z'Z e Patented Apr. 29, 1952 UNITED STATES RATENT OFFICE GOLF BALL MARKING MACHINE Eugene J. Russell, Yorba Linda, and Arthur E. Wilde, Long Beach,v Calif.

Application November 10, 1947, Serial N 0. 784,948

2 Claims.

This invention is a token controlled machine for the ready, manual lettering of golf or other adaptable balls.

Cumbersome and expensive machines have been proposed for the marking of symbols or of letters, or numbers on game balls, especially golfballs.

It is one objective of this invention to provide a simple, practical, substantial, low-cost and easily operative machine in which may be deposited a ball to be marked by a suitable or desired symbol or the lettered name of the owner of a given ball.

A further purpose of the invention is to provide a public service, ball marking device incorporat ing certain mechanism which can only be manipulated in the presence of a given token as a 7 power transmitting agent whereby a control lock is releasable to permit use of the machine.

An additional object of the invention is to pro-' ball to be marked, and to provide for the orien-- tation of the impression means around the equator of the ball to effect the impression therein of a long word or a full name or part thereof as desired.

The invention resides in the certain advancements in the art of marking balls as set forth in the ensuing disclosure and having, with the above, additional objects and advantages as will hereinafter develop, and whose construction, combinations and details of means, and the manner of operation thereof will be made manifest in the following description of the herewith illustrative embodiment; it being understood that modifications, variations and adaptations may be resorted to within the scope, spirit and principles of the invention as it is claimed in conclusion hereof.

Figure l is a top plan, and Figure 2 is a front elevation of the machine, both in idle or normal position of the parts. Figure 3 is a vertical, central, transverse section of the machine showing a ball set in the ball clamping device. Figure 4 is a plan, in partial section, of the coin or token controlled means relative to the ball clamp.

As shown, the machine has a substantial frame which embodies a bracket 2 for convenient fixation to a stand, -a counter, or a wall, as the case may be, for the installation of the machine in public places for ready use by a patron wishing to mark a golf or other ball for which the ma- 2 chine may be adapted (in this instancefor marking' golf-balls) Onv the bottom 3 of the bracket is swivelled, o a bushing 4, a vertical axis trunnion 5 having a transverse-axis shaft 6.

A ball marking means is movably mounted, as to the bracket, to carry a marking device up to a positioned ball B in a holder, later described. This marking means embodies a substantial. bifurcated arm I mounted on said shaft 6 which serves as an axis on'which'the said arm is manually raised and lowered in its functions.

The trunnion 5 has in its top face suitable row of indentations 5x into each of which is engageable a snap latch 8 whereby to yieldably hold the trunnion at any selected angular position about the trunnion axis while a clamped hall is being marked, around its belt, by a. selected die symbol as later disclosed. The arm I normally stands outwardly inclined as to the vertical axis of the trunnion and from a money box l0 disposed above the trunnion, for compact arrangement. The upper end of the arm 1 has a cage l I in which is mounted an upright spindle [2 on which is rigid a rotary, manual dial [3 having on its top face a marginal arc of index symbols S, such as a chosen language alphabet, each being presentable, by dial rotation, below a frontal, peep-hole HS in a ledge of the rigid cage ll.

As the spindle I2 is rotated by the died an impression, symbol die'wheel I5 is rotated by its affixed spindle I2 to present a chosen, symbol die D at a rear window llw, of the cage, for direct, manual thrust toward and against aball B to be marked; in this case by an impression of a presented die D.

A simple, practical means is here incorporated whereby to hold the ball firmly while the operator manipulates the die carrier l. The ball, in this holding device, is deposited in a position on the projected axis line of the trunnion 5 so that as the power arm i is swivelled thereabout the symbol dies will be engaged, as selected, on an equatorial zone horizontally around the ball, one symbol after the other for the stamping of a name around and on the said zone, as the desired symbol dies are dialed into functional, stamping position opposite the applied ball.

The holding device includes a hemispherical socket it which is rigid with the top of the box it and in such a position as to enable the dies D to impinge the horizontal belt of the ball, as stated above.

Control means are provided whereby to preclude the use of the machine until a proper when in idle, normal position, overhangs the socket IS in such a degree of contiguity as to prevent a ball (for which the machine is adapted) from being deposited in the socket. This barrier position of the lever is determined by a control bolt 25, in the box l0, which is normally thrust by a spring 26 against the lever limb 22 or into a keeper-hole 22h therein and into which hole the bolt snaps as the keeper-hole registers therewith.

The control lever cannot be lifted to permit a ball to be deposited in the socket [6 until the bolt 25 is disengaged from the crank limb 22. Such disengagement is effected when a proper token X is placed in' a pocket 21p of a manual, forwardly pulled, coin slide 21, extending into the coin box, and said loaded slide is forced inward. As the slide moves inward the interposed coin (or token) is rammed against a coin actuated sleeper 28 along which the slide forks. The sleeper is thus repressed by the coin and at the same time the bolt 25, which is riveted at 29 to, and is above, the sleeper, is repressed enough to be extracted from the keeper-hole 22h of the crank limb 22. When the control coin is later released of pressure of the manual slide 21 it falls into the money box.

The cap lever 20, when freed from the locking bolt, can be manually repressed far enough to permit a ball to be placed in the horizontal socket l6 under the momentarily raised cap lamp. The

lever is then tipped forward by the crank spring 23 to snugly grip the cap onto the positioned ball.

Immediately following the clamping of the ball in and by the machine, the operator, or a patron, proceeds to set the die wheel for the first symbol impression on the gripped ball and so swings the'carrier arm 1 as to place the first and chosen die D at a'point of beginning the successive letter stamp of v a name, for instance, on the equator of the fixed ball.

' As each requisite letter die is so equatorially presented it is firmly impressed into the ball by manual pressure on the cage arm 1.

Finally the fully inscribed ball is drawn from the socket while the cap lever is still unlocked and while the cap is pressed up by hand high enough to clear the marked ball.

When the lever next again moves to a position with its keeperhole in front of the spring bolt this snaps in and locks the lever, and this can be released only by medium of another proper token carried in by the slide 21.

Stop means, as lugs 30, limit the in and out strokes of the manual slide 21.

What is claimed is:

1. A ball marking machine having, in combination, a frame having a rigidly fixed ball support including an upwardly facing socket for nesting an applied ball in stable position, a ball clamping means including a lever having a horizontal axis on said frame and being radial from one side of the socket and having a downwardly facing cap movable by said lever toward and from the socket,

; a spring on the frame constantly urging the cap toward the socket to grip an applied ball, the

lever being manually operative to move the cap away from the socket for insertion of a ball, a marking die member, and a carrier, on which the die member is mounted, pivoted on the frame for both a horizontal sweep around the socket and for vertical swing toward or from the socket whereby to press a die character against a contiguous surface of the clamped ball.

2. The machine of claim 1, said lever having a keeper-hole, a self-locking bolt mounted on said frame and normally latching in said hole, and a manually operative controller slidably mounted on the frame for disengaging the bolt from the lever to permit manual, cap-opening movement thereof. 1

EUGENE J. RUSSELL. ARTHUR E. WILDE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 631,937 McCord Aug. 29, 1899 1,467,073 Solmson Sept. 4, 1923 1,611,722 Cross et al. Dec. 21, 1926 1,814,170 Long July 14, 1931 1,814,312 Heene July 14, 1931 1,921,571 Jones Aug. 8, 1933 1,982,158 Gould et al. Nov. 27, 1934 1,999,647 Atti Apr. 30, 1935 2,002,847 Atti May 28, 1935 2,319,039 Comfort May 11, 1943 2,486,702 Berger Mar. 1, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 14,482 Great Britain Sept. 14, 1889 

